Springfield Standard

A Springfield Missouri pastor recently weighed in on the recent controversy involving The Salvation Army's promotion of certain political and racial ideologies.

According to a Color Us United petition, The Salvation Army (TSA) has been under fire for its adoption of a guide for members called “Let’s Talk About Racism,” which asks white people and Christians to consider asking forgiveness for the “sin” of racism. The Salvation Army, under heavy public pressure, removed its training program from its website.

Color Us United launched the petition representing "members of The Salvation Army in calling for a revocation of The Salvation Army’s 'Let’s Talk About Race' curriculum."

Charles Arsenault, a retired senior pastor from Springfield, Missouri's Evangel Temple Christian Center, criticized the Salvation Army's racial and political agenda.

“I know that the Salvation Army has always been known for the Bible being their guide and source of wisdom,” Charles Arsenault retired senior pastor of Evangel Temple Christian Center in Springfield, Missouri, told Springfield Standard. “It appears that the general public is losing confidence in them. Thus, they must revert back to their roots and reject the forces advocating racist, divisive materials and recommit to Christ centered theology.

"Shaming someone for being white is a betrayal of the word of God as well as the Salvation Army's original Christian values. Allowing racial politics into any Christian based charity is the beginning of the end for that organization.”

The Salvation Army has withdrawn the guide, but stated on its website that the "Let's Talk about Racism" guide was meant to be a voluntary resource.

"We have done our best to provide accurate information, but unfortunately, some have chosen to ignore those efforts," The Salvation Army stated on its website. "At the same time, International Headquarters realized that certain aspects of the guide may need to be clarified. Consequently, for both reasons, the International Social Justice Commission has now withdrawn the guide for appropriate review."

The organization added that although it remains "committed to serving everyone in need—regardless of their beliefs, backgrounds or lifestyle—some individuals and groups have recently attempted to mislabel our organization to serve their own agendas."

"They have claimed that we believe our donors should apologize for their skin color, that The Salvation Army believes America is an inherently racist society, and that we have abandoned our Christian faith for one ideology or another," TSA wrote. "Those claims are simply false, and they distort the very goal of our work."

Washington Examiner reported that The Salvation Army’s stance has created a national backlash. According to the Examiner, a Rasmussen poll found respondents with an unfavorable view of the group increased from 11% to 41% after being told of the guide, and those who already had a favorable opinion of the organization dropped from 81% to 41%.

Color Us United took a public stance against The Salvation Army’s "Let's Talk About Racism" and what the group alleges is the guide's racial stances through the Just Say It campaign, according to Central Nova News.

The Just Say It campaign is part of a larger petition drive Color Us United initiated to allow supporters of The Salvation Army to disavow its current policies built on what it alleges is Critical Race Theory.